Cordless electric iron



Feb. 14, 1939. H, E, BRANNON CORDLESS ELECTRIC IRON n Filed Jan. 6, 19363 Sheets-Sheet lv INVENTOR. Herbef E. Bran/yon H/s ATTORNEY.

Feb. 14, 1939. H, E. BRANNoN 2,147,085

.CORDLESS ELECTRIC IRON Filed Jan. 6, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ma AHORNEFeb. 14, 1939. HA E BRANNON' 2,147,085

CORDLES S ELECTRIC IRON Filed Jan. 6, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 f N V EN TOR/ferer Z BT41774707?- ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 14, 1939 UNITEDA vSTATES PATENT OFFICE This inventionrelates to cordless electric irons cf the vtype wherein the iron propercontains an electrical heating element which is brought into engagementwith an electrical circuit only 5 when the iron is mounted upon acooperating stand. Specically the invention relates to the provision ina cordless electric iron of novel switch means for the electricalcircuit whereby the circuit is closed except when the iron is inposition on its stand, provision of a thermostatic switch in the standfor controlling the temperature of the iron, and the provision of anovel handle for such an iron which is adapted to minimize thetransmission of heat from the iron proper to the handle and which isadapted to be adjusted at any desired pitch with respect y to the baseof the iron whereby to accommodate the position of the handle to theconvenience of the operator.

The various other novel and advantageous features of the presentinvention will be understood upon reading the following descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure I is a side view in elevation of the iron shown in position uponthe stand with certain cf the interior parts of the stand shown indotted lines;

Figure II is a longitudinal sectional view through the iron;

Figure III is a bottom plan view of the tray constituting the top wallof the stand;

` Figure IV is a bottom plan view of the iron;

Figure V is a top plan view of the tray shown in Figure III;

Figure VI is an end view of the handle forming a part of the iron shownin Figures I and l1;

Figure VII is an enlarged sectional View taken on substantially the lineVII-VH of Figure III;

Figure VIII is a sectional view showing the relation of the thermostatadjusting screw to the base of the stand;

Figure IX is a sectional view showing the manner in which the trayforming the top wall of the stand is secured to the base of the stand;

Figure X is a side view partly in section and partly in elevation of amodified form of iron and stand;

Figure XI is a top plan view of the assembly shown in Figure X;

Figure XII is a sectional View taken on substantially the line XII-fXIIof Figure X; and

Figure XIII is a side view in elevation of one unit of the handlesupport.

As illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

the invention is shown as embodied in an iron having contained thereinan electrical heating element, a stand for the iron, and an electricalcircuit for the heating element of the iron which includes athermostatic switch and a manually operated switch located in the stand.The manually operated switch is normally held in an open position andthe thermostatic switch is normally held in a closed position. Themanually operated switch is actuated to close the electrical circuitwhen the iron is installed upon the stand and to open the circuit whenthe iron is removed from the stand. The thermostatic switch is alsoactuated by the iron when it is on the stand. This switch is adapted toopen the electrical circuit when the temperature of the iron reaches apredetermined maximum. Of course, the thermostatic switch returns to itsclosed position as soon as the temperature falls below suchpredetermined maximum, as when the iron is removed from the stand.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in Figs. I to IXinclusive. As there shown, it comprises an iron I, a stand 2, includinga tcp plate in the form of a tray 3, adapted to receive the iron I. Thedetails of construction of the iron are shown in Fig. Il. It includes asoie plate 4, upon which is mounted a conventional form of electricalheating element 5, held against the sole plate 4 by a clip 6, which isin turn secured in position by a screw I threaded into the sole plate 4.A pressure plate 8 is mounted on top of the heating element 5. An outershell 9 encloses the heating element 5 and pressure plate 8. It issecured in position by means of a screw I having a threaded engagementwith the sole plate 4. The space between the pressure plate 8 and theshell 9 is filled with any conventional form of insulating material II.

A hand grip or handle I2 is mounted above the shell 9 by means ofsubstantially vertical supports I3 and I4. These supports are secured tothe shell 9 by screws I5. At their upper extremities supports I3 and I4are provided with openings for the reception of an elongated bolt IG.Likewise, the hand grip I2 is provided with a longitudinal opening forthe reception of the bolt I6. The grip is secured upon the supports I3and I4 by placing the longitudinal opening therein in alignment with theopenings In. order to permit the adjustment of hand grip I2 ,toaccommodate its position to the convenience of the operator, the supportI9, at the rear of the iron, is made adjustable whereby the length ofthe same may be increased or decreased. In this manner the pitch of thehandle I2 with respect to the base of the iron may be varied as desired.As herein shown, this adjustment may be effected by forming the supportI4 in two parts having overlapping end portions. 'I'hese end portionsare provided with a plurality of openings which may be brought intoregistry by moving the handle l2 toward or away from the base of theiron. When the handle has been arranged in the desired position withrespect to the base of the iron, it is locked in that position by meansof the adjusting screw and nut I8, the screw extending through theregistering openings. J

'Ihe heating element 5 in iron I is adapted to be energized by anelectrical current from any suitable source. To that end the element 5is operatively connected as indicated at I9 to a pair of contacts 2liand 2i countersunk in the base of the sole plate d. These contacts areadapted to engage cooperating contacts 22 and 23 projecting above theupper surface of the tray 3 forming a part of the stand 2. Electricalcurrent is supplied to contacts 22 and 23 through a cord 24 associatedwith a source of current not shown. The cord 22 extends intostand 2through an opening 25 provided in the side wall thereof. The cord' 2dincludes positive and negative wires 26 and 2l to make up a conventionalelectrical circuit. These wires are connected to the contacts 22 and 23through a manually operated switch indicated generally at 28 and athermostatic switch indicated generally at 29.

Switch 28 includes a pair of stationary contact points 30 and 30' and apair of movable contacts 3| and 32. The stationary contacts 30 and 30are mounted upon a depending support 33 secured to the bottom of tray43. The central portion of this support 33 cooperates with a seconddependent support 2d to slidably receive an operating rod 35 for switch28.

The movable contact points 3l and 32 are mounted upon a support 38,which is'itself slidably mounted upon the rod 35. The support 36 and thecontacts 3l and 32 are normally held in spaced relation to thecorresponding contact points 30 and 39' by means of a spring 37positioned betweenhsupports 33 and 36. Contacts 3l and 32 are adapted-to'be brought into resilient engagement with contacts 30 and 30' bymoving the rod 35 to the right in FiguIII. For the purpose ofresilientlypressing contacts 3l and 32 against contacts 3B and 39', therod 35 is provided at its free end with a lock washer or similar device37. Between the washer 37 and the movable support 36 there is provided acoil spring 38. Thus, when the rod 35 is moved to the right the contacts3l and 32 are caused to resiliently engage contacts 39 and 30'.

l At its extremity adjacent the support 3Q, rod 35 is provided witha-vertically extending arm 39 which projects upwardly through an opening30 in tray 3. When the switch 28 is in its open position as shown inFigure III, the arm 39 assumes the position shown in Figure V. Thisposition is such that the iron I cannot be seated upon the tray withoutintroducing it in a longitudinal direction so as to move the arm 39 tothe right (Figure V) to an extent suclent to bring the contact points 3land 22 into engagement with contact points 38 and 39. The position ofarm 39 and switch 28 when the iron is properly installed on the stand 2is shown in Figure I. As there shown the-switch 28 is in its closedposition.

When the iron l is removed from the stand, coil spring 31 causes switch28 to open.

Wires 26 and 2l forming part of cord 2li are connected to the stationarycontact points 29 and 30 as shown in Figure III. As also shown in FigureIII there is interposed inthe electrical circuit between the movablecontact points 3l and 32 of switch 28 and the bases lll and l2 ofcontact points 22 and 23 the thermostatic switch 29. Movable contactpoint 3l is directly connected to the base lll of the exposed contactpoint 22 by the wire 43, the thermostat 29 being connected to movablecontact 32 by the wire 44 and to the base i2 of exposed contact 22 bythe wire d5.

, Thermostatic switch 29 consists of a pair of terminals d6 and l'l towhich wires il and 45 are connected. Between these terminals ispositioned a switch bar d8 .pivoted rto terminal 41 and provided withacontact at itsy opposite extremity normally engaging terminal 66.Intermediate the extremities of bar d8, the thermostat is provided witha fulcrum 9. Pressure upon the outer surface of i8 between the terminal2 and fulcrum 89 breaks the contact between bar i8 and terminal 36. Forthe purpose of so breaking the contact between bar d8 and terminal d8,when the temperature of the iron reaches a predetermined maximum, thethermostat includes a bimetallic element 58 secured to the thermostatbase as indicated at 5I. element 50 is arranged to contact the outersurface of bar 68 between the terminal lll and fulcrum 59. Element 5l)is formed so that the free end thereof will move to the right (FigureIII) when it is heated to a predetermined maximum. When it thus moves tothe right it presses upon bar 138, breaking the contact between bar riand the terminal d5.

The thermostat element 58 is exposed to the heat of the sole plate il ofiron i by means of an opening 5U formed in tray 3. Thus when the iron Iis in position uponthe stand 2 and attains a predetermined maximum heat,the thermostatic switch 29 is actuated to open the electrical circuitsupplying current to the heating element in the Sil4 The free extremityof iron.

If desired the thermostatic switch 29 may be made adjustable whereby tovary the temperature at which it will be actuated to open the electriccircuit by providing means for preloading the thermostatic element 5I.Such means is shown in Figures I and VIII and consists of an operatingrod 52 threaded into an opening provided for that purpose in the baseportion of stand 2. The rod 52 is provided with an operating knob 53. Y

The manner in which the tray 3 of stand 2 is secured in position isillustrated in Figure IX. As there shown the tray is provided withdepending bosses 52 on its lower surface threaded to receive screws 55which are introduced therein from the bottom of the stand V2.

The manner in which the exposed contacts 22 and 23 on the surface oftray 3 are insulated from the tray is shown in Figure VII. As thereshown a pair of insulating washersv 55 are arranged above and below thesurface of tray 3 with the contact point 22 extending through the trayeither in spaced relation to the opening therein or surrounded by anysuitable insulating medium. l

. The operation of the device thus far described is as follows:

The electrical cord 2| is connected with any suitable electrical outlet.'I'he iron I is then placedupon the tray 3 of stand 2 pressing theswitch arm 39 to the right (Figures I and III) and thereby closing thecircuit through switch 28. Thermostatic switch 29 is normally closed.Consequently,whentheiron I is mounted on the stand 2 as just described,electric current is Supplied to the heating element 5 of the ironthrough the cooperating contacts 20 and 2l in the iron and 22 and 23 inthe stand 2. The supply of current to heating element 5 is continued solong as the iron remains on the stand, until the iron reaches apredetermined maximum temperature. At such predetermined maximumtemperature thermostatic switch 29 is actuated to open the electrical,circuit and cut oiI the current to heating element 5. When thetemperature of the iron becomes less than such predetermined maximum, orwhen the iron is removed from the stand and the thermostatic switch isno longer subject to the iron temperature, the thermostatic switch 29returns to its closed position. However, ii' this result is produced byremoving the iron from the stand, the manually operated switch 28 isimmediately opened by the removal of the iron.

From the foregoing description of the construction and operation of thepreferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be noted that oneof the principal objections to cordless electric irons, namely, exposedcontact points, has been eliminated. Exposed contact points are notobjectionable, provided there is no current being supplied to them whenthey are exposed. Current is supplied to the exposed contact points 22and 23 in the stand 2 only when the manual switch 29 is closed as bymoving the operating arm 39 to the right. (Figure III.) .The possibilityof moving operating arm 39 in such man- -ner as to close switch 28inadvertently is extremely remote. Consequently, the exposed contactpoints- 22 and 23 present no objectionable hazard, as they are/ suppliedwith current only when the switch 29 is closed intentionally as byplacing the iron upon the stand.

'I'he modified embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures X toXIII inclusive differs from the preferred embodiment illustrated inFigures I to IX inclusive only in certain of its constructional details.For example, in this modied embodiment of the invention, a thermo? stat51 for controlling the temperature of the iron is shown as located inthe sole plate, 4' oi.' the iron l'. In this modified form of theinvention the heating element is shown at 5', a pressure plate at 8' andan outer shell at 3'.

The iron I is mounted upon a stand 2' having a tray 3. The stand 2 isprovided with the manual switch at 28 operated through the rod 35' andoperating arm 39'.

Except as specifically mentioned, the electrical hook-up and the detailsof construction in the modified embodiment are the same as in thepreferred. Consequently these details are not shown in Figures X toXIII. As shown in Figures X to XIII inclusive, the hand grip and themethod of mounting the same is substantially diterent than. that shownin -Figures I and II. As herein shown the opposite extremities o! thehand when the iron is on the stand.

grip I2' are connected to the shell 9' of theiron by means oi aplurality of separated vertical supporting elements I3' and Il'. Thesesupporting elements consist of relatively thin strips of metal spaced asindicated in FiguresXI and XII to permit the free passage of airtherebetween. In this manner the transfer of heat from the iron to thehand grip I2 is effectively minimized and substantially eliminated. Themanner in which these elements are attached to the hand grip I2 andshell 9' is clearly illustrated in Figures XI, XII and XIII, theattachmentto the shell 9 being by means of ears I4" which are insertedinto openings provided for that purpose in the shell 9' and then flangedto secure the connecting elements to the shell.

While only a preferred and modified embodiment of theinvention have beenshown and described somewhat in detail, it should be understood that theinvention is not limited to such details, but is co-extensive with thescope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A cordless electric iron comprising an iron, a stand for the iron,and anelectrical circuit, the stand including a removable top platehaving secured to the under surface thereof a portion of the electricalcircuit including a thermostatic switch and a manually operable switch,the said top plate being provided with an opening adjacent thethermostatic switch whereby to expose the same to the heat of the ironwhen the iron is on the stand, the manually operable switch including anoperating lever projecting through the top plate for engagement with theiron when it is positioned on the stand.

2. In combination, an iron, an electrical heating element containedWithin the iron, an elec'- trical contact on the iron connected to theheating element, a stand for the iron having an upwardly and outwardlyinclined flange at one edge thereof, an electrical contact on the standconnected to an electrical circuit including a switch mechanism locatedwholly within the stand, means for operating the switch including an armprojecting upwardly from the stand at a point remote from the flange andadapted to be moved horizontally byy an edge of the iron, saidelectrical contacts arranged for engagement with each other when theiron is on the stand.

3. A. cordless electric iron comprising an iron, a stand for the iron,the stand including a top plate, and an electrical circuit, a portionoi' the electrical circuit including a thermostatic switch and amanually operable switch located wholly within said stand beneath saidtop plate, the

said top plate being provided with an opening adjacent the thermostaticswitch whereby to expose the same to the heat of the iron when the ironis on the stand, the manually operable switch including an operatinglever projecting through the top plate for engagement with the iron whenit is positioned on the stand.

4. A cordless electric iron comprising an iron, l

a stand for the iron, the stand including a top plate, and an electricalcircuit, a portion of the electrical circuit including a thermostaticswitch located wholly within the stand beneath said top plate, the saidtop plate being provided with an opening adjacent the thermostaticswitch whereby to expose the same to the heat of the iron maaar n.BRANNoN.

